RobBlog

Whatever it takes

At the Law School Foundation, we maintain a “whatever it takes” attitude -- especially when it comes to the end of our fiscal year.

This year in particular was a critical year for us, because it marked the end of John Jeffries’s tenure as dean. We wanted him to go out with a bang, so we set the goals for annual giving at 52% for the participation rate and $10 million for total gifts.

Over the course of June (the last month of our fiscal year), we sent out e-mails, made phone calls, conducted personal presentations, dressed up as Elvis (see photo of Dave Ibbeken '71 – president emeritus of the Law School Foundation), sent more e-mails, and wrote poems and song lyrics in order to get those who had not given to give. 

If you did not receive any of these communications, it means you had already given in the fiscal year. Remember, once we receive a gift, you are immediately removed from further solicitation for that fiscal year. 

It was a long, drawn out struggle, but after the final bell, the Law School posted annual giving numbers of $10.9 million in annual gifts and 52.7% in alumni participation rate.

Both are all-time records for the Law School and (we believe) for law schools across the country.  To his credit, John Jeffries, from his first day as dean, emphasized the importance of annual giving participation. His plea did not fall on deaf ears. During his tenure, the annual giving participation rate rose from 43% in 2001 to nearly 53% this year. 

This achievement is attributable in large part to the work of our volunteers. We are participation driven and we would not be able to communicate our message to as many alumni as we do (or communicate it as effectively and efficiently as we do) without the hard work and support of our alumni volunteer network, including our reunion committees. 

We are excited about the Paul Mahoney era but I didn’t want this moment to pass without thanking all of you for your support in making last year a success.

We are extremely proud to lead all law schools in annual giving participation. We believe that it is a sign of a remarkably healthy institution and it’s further confirmation of our standing in the very first rank of American legal education.

John C. Jeffries, Jr. 73 Distinguished Professorship

As you know, John Jeffries ’73 is retiring as dean of our great law school at the end of next month.  He has been dean for seven years and during his tenure the Law School has flourished -- becoming financially self-sufficient, enrolling the strongest student bodies in our history, and attracting record levels of alumni support (for the past two years, Virginia is the only law school to have more than 50% of its alumni participate in its annual giving campaign).

To recognize John's lifetime devotion to the Law School, we have been actively raising gifts and pledges for a distinguished professorship in his name.

On May 2, we publicly announced the creation of the John C. Jeffries, Jr. 73 Distinguished Professorship.

I have received hundreds of notes from friends, colleagues, former and current faculty members, and former and current students about Dean Jeffries.  I will share one of them with you, although I wish I could share more.

    “Let me add that I have witnessed from afar the tremendous success that Dean Jeffries has enjoyed in his quest to take the Law School to the next level (following in the footsteps of Dean Scott, another Law School great), and it would be my honor to target my contribution to the Professorship in his name.  I benefitted immensely from Dean Jeffries's teaching -- and can't imagine what my first-year clerking would have been like, had I not had the good fortune of learning Federal Courts from him. I used my class outline and notes on more than one occasion, so no small coincidence that several important judicial decisions and sets of jury instructions happened to reflect Dean Jeffries' approach . . .

    "A big fan of Dean Scott (and Dean Merrill before him), I was thrilled to see to see that "the Boomer" was able to pass the torch to such an extraordinary individual. Working in corporate America, I have worked hard to create bench strength, identify successors, and then do all that I can to mentor and support those identified in their development. The Law School has set the standard in this regard -- witness the fine work of Deans Merrill, Scott, and Jeffries.  I continue to be amazed too by the Law School Foundation's record of achievement, even through the economic downturns.  Hats off to you and your staff!"

Best regards, Jeff Blumenthal, Class of '85

Jeffrey M. Blumenthal
Assistant Vice President
The Hartford's Group Life Claim Operations

You too can join Jeff and others who have voted their confidence in the deanship of Dean Jeffries by making a gift or pledge today.  Simply click here. Make sure to reference the Dean Jeffries Professorship in the “additional notes/comments” section. 

Dean Tour Hits New York and Philly

Last week, we were in New York and Philadelphia.

We held our annual alumni luncheon at the Yale Club in New York City on March 12 and another law alumni luncheon at the Pyramid Club in Philadelphia on March 13.

Ted Mathas ’92, the new CEO of New York Life, introduced Dean John Jeffries '73 in NY and Howard Meyers '73, managing partner of Morgan Lewis, introduced the Dean in Philadelphia.

Both of our lunches were well attended as law alumni came from near and far to see John Jeffries as Dean one last time. In addition, both lunches included several admitted students. Often times, the best ambassadors of the Law School are its alumni. To have admitted students interact with our alumni gives us a huge advantage in recruiting these students and allows these students to appreciate the power of the UVA Law network.

New York is a very important market for us. Although it is not our largest market in terms of population, New York is the largest market for us in terms of giving. New York alumni annually provide the largest regional gifts to the Law School. We are grateful for their support and we are proud to send our students to the great firms and companies in New York.

An interesting fact about the ties between the Law School and New York involves the NY Bar passage rate. We had more members from the Class of 2006 go to NY than any other jurisdiction, so we reported the class’ NY Bar passage rate to US News & World Report. Eight of the Top Ten law schools did the same. Virginia had the highest bar passage rate for NY.

New York Bar passage rate, rated highest first (US News, 2007):

1 Virginia          96.5%
1 Michigan        96.5%
3 Penn                95.5%
4 Harvard         95.3%
5 Yale                 94.2%
6 Duke                94.0%
7 NYU                93.4%
8 Columbia       90.6%

Last year, we had 108 out of 109 students pass the NY bar.  That should again be the highest in the country.

Please come to Boston

We spent last week in Boston. Dean Jeffries hosted all UVA Law alums at the Omni Parker House for a cocktail reception. The event attracted alumni from all generations and from several neighboring states. Steve ’66 and Rose Cardi even made the drive up from Providence, RI.

Right before the event began, I had what can be most aptly described as a “Forrest Gump” moment. I was taking the “T” train to the event and exited at the Park St. station. As soon as I surfaced, I joined what I thought was a group of people (probably around 25) who were crossing the street. When the light turned green, one of group members took out a megaphone and started chanting “Stop the killing in Colombia now,” to which everyone in the group echoed the chant. As we crossed the street, the chant and the echo became “USA out of Colombia.”

When we reached the other side, there were a group of reporters waiting to interview the protesters. I ducked to the left and tried to make my way to the Omni Parker House when a reporter approached me and asked what I expected to achieve by participating in this protest. I smiled, moved closer to one of my “fellow” protesters and told the reporter that “I speak no English.” The reporter immediately began interviewing my “friend” and I was able to escape undetected to our alumni event.

I spent two and a half days in Boston. I met with Duke Collier ’73 at Genzyme, Will Perkins ’97 of Bingham and David Capillo ’97 from Goodwin Procter, Rob Kole ’96 from Choate Hall, Dave Jones '96 from Proskauer and Garret Gillespie ’96 from Mintz Levin. In addition, I had lunch with the following members from the Class of 83: Tim Palmer, Dusty Hecker and Jim Campbell.

Part of my responsibilities this year is to coordinate reunion activities and reunion giving for the Class of '83 and the Class of '73. This means getting to know as many people as possible from those two classes and convincing them to come back for Reunions Weekend in Charlottesville.

Reunions will be held this year from May 2-4, for all classes ending in a “3” or an “8.” We have plenty of fun and educational activities available for alumni and their families. In addition, we provide many venues for classmates to reconnect with each other and to network with other classes.

If you are in a reunion cycle, I hope to see you in Charlottesville in May.

The Road Show: Atlanta

We’ve begun a final road show for Dean Jeffries. This week, we are in Boston, but last week we were in Atlanta.

The weather in Atlanta was unusually cold. The few days we spend every spring semester in Atlanta are usually a welcome break from the chilly weather in Charlottesville, but not this year. Nevertheless, our alumni were out in full force for our annual alumni luncheon at the Four Seasons Hotel in midtown.

We now have more than 600 alumni in Atlanta and that number continues to grow. Atlanta has always been popular with our most recent graduates, but it seems that its popularity is increasing each year. Based on conversations I had with our young alumni in Atlanta, many believe, and rightfully so, that Atlanta provides them with all the business opportunities that a career in DC or New York would provide, only at a slighter cost of living and with better weather (typically).

The week for me consisted of several meetings, but the highlights of the week centered around two dinners with fellow alums: one at Loca Luna, a Latin-themed restaurant that had a Brazilian music band and the other at MF Sushi, a wonderful sushi restaurant in Buckhead.

The dinner at Loca Luna  included Kevin Maxim ’94 of Troutman Sanders, Dave Phillips ’96 of Jones Day, Simon Bloom ’97, who started his own real estate litigation practice, and Charlie Weigle ’96, who drove up from Augusta to spend the evening with us. The Brazilian music was a little too loud to carry on serious conversation, but I did hear Charlie loud and clear when he promised me tickets to the Masters this year if I make it back down in April.

The dinner at MF Sushi included Arnold Evans ’96 of SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, Jessica Pardi ’96 of Morris Manning, Curtis Romig ’98 of Powell Goldstein, Jennifer Romig ’98, a law professor at Emory University and Lisa Moore ’98, who started her own entertainment law practice.

At this dinner, we were able to discuss in detail Dean Jeffries’ speech at the luncheon earlier in the day and the prospects for the Law School now that Paul Mahoney has been announced as the new dean. Since Arnold was the alumni representative to the Dean’s selection committee, he was able to add valuable insight into the Dean’s selection process -- despite the fact that everyone at the table was trying hard to hold back a smile and laughter when Arnold’s drink order arrived: the Cane Cocktail.

You should have seen the look on his face. If I get the pictures from Jennifer Romig, I will post them.

One Night in Bangkok

If you thought this blog entry was going to discuss the Murray Head 80’s classic, you’re right -- to a certain degree. When I first heard the song in 1984, I was convinced that Bangkok was the chess capital of the world. 

After all, Murray Head was the lead vocalist for the song “One Night In Bangkok” from the musical, Chess. Being a big fan of chess, I had to find a way to get there. On December 27, 2007, I finally set foot in Bangkok.

After a day of visiting the “muddy old river” and the “reclining Buddha,” I set out to find why Murray Head had referred to Bangkok as the “crème de la crème of the chess world.”

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find anyone playing chess -- not in the parks, not on the street,  and not in the hotel lobbies. At one point, I even asked a cab driver to take me to the “Tyrolean spa.” He had this confused look on his face. I asked him if he’d ever heard of the song and its famous line “Doesn’t seem a minute since the Tyrolean spa had the chess-boards in it.” Still, no response.

I finally decided to do what I always do when I’m lost in an unfamiliar city – ask some Virginia Law alumni who live in the city. Even though I was on a vacation, before arriving in Bangkok I had arranged to meet Brett Braude ’94 and Doug Chapman ’83 for dinner at Breeze.

Brett shuttles back and forth between Hong Kong, Macau, Manila and Bangkok. He has been working with Spectrum, a gaming consulting and business intelligence group that has a regional office in Bangkok. Doug has been working for several years as an independent contract attorney doing business litigation for four small law firms in Los Angeles. He moved to Bangkok in April 2006 and simply telecommutes.

In this photo, I'm on the far left,  Doug Chapman ’83 is in the middle, Brett Braude ’94 is on the right. 

Conversation was fabulous and the food was amazing. Breeze is a spectacular venue. It’s an open-air restaurant that sits on the 51st and 52nd floors of Bangkok's landmark State Tower building. Suspended above a lily pond, a 25-metre long space-aged sky bridge culminates in a spectacular view of the river on one side and the Bangkok skyline on the other.

Here are two pictures:

After updates on the state of the Law School, the retirement of John Jeffries as Dean and life in Charlottesville, I asked Doug and Brett about the Bangkok chess scene. They too stared at me blankly. They said they have seen people playing checkers in the city parks, but not chess.

After dinner, I said good bye to Brett and Doug and took the elevator down to the street.

On the way down, I hummed a few lines of the song:

Siam’s goanna be the witness
to the ultimate test of cerebral fitness.
This grips me more than would a
muddy old river or reclining Buddha.

Thank God I’m only watching the game – controlling it--

I don’t see you guys rating
the kind of mate I’m contemplating.
I’d let you watch - I would invite you,
But the queens we use would not excite you.

So you better go back to your bars, your temples
…your massage parlors…

One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble
Not much between despair and ecstasy.

FreeDigitalPhotos.net 

On the Road with the Miami Heat

It is my pleasure to sit in the guest seat at the RobBlog this week--back in the office after trips to Houston and Dallas. It is always great to visit the Lone Star State--with about 135 law alums in Houston and roughly 200 in Dallas.

A visit to Houston wouldn't be complete without catching up with class manager Tom Melo '77. It was great to have dinner with Tom and then to see he and his wife, Tina Melo ’81, the next evening at our reception -- both are devoted Law School volunteers.

I had the pleasure of meeting with John Ale '79 at his Skadden office. John is a double 'Hoo who lends his support and generosity to both the University and the Law School.

I met for the first time with Vytas Petrulis ’92 of Jackson Walker. Vytas is looking forward to returning to the Law School in May for his 15th reunion. I also caught up with Dennis Duffy ’82, who returned to firm practice in Houston from corporate practice in NYC. Dennis is a former member of the Law School's Alumni Council and is also returning for his 25th reunion.

Michael Caddell ’79 and his wife, Cynthia Chapman, were the gracious hosts of Dean John Jeffries and Houston-area alumni for a reception at their Four Seasons residence. The Dean spoke about recent events at the Law School. Thank you to Michael and Cynthia for their warm hospitality.

Next up was a reception hosted by Brad ’76 and Kathy Keithley at the Dallas Petroleum Club. As always, it was wonderful to see Jim Coleman ’51, the "Dean" of the Dallas legal community, and class manager Graham Koch ’52. Graduates from the 1950s through the Class of 2006 (including a Class of 1999 manager, Cortland Kelly Grynwald,) were in attendance to hear Jeff Levinger ’82 introduce Dean Jeffries in a clever fashion.

Jeff compared Dean Jeffries to Joe DiMaggio, a rare five-tool baseball player who could run, hit, catch, throw, and hit with power. Jeff described John as the “five-tool dean” who is an outstanding classroom teacher, an accomplished scholar and writer, an innovator, someone intensely loyal to the Law School, and an amazing speaker. A home run introduction!

One of the best aspects of traveling on behalf of the Law School is being able to spend time with alumni in their home cities to talk about current events at the Law School, as well as how the community and camaraderie they enjoyed and remember has not changed since they left Charlottesville.

Once in a while there's an added bonus for road warriors. On this trip, the Miami Heat and I shared hotels in Houston and Dallas. As an avid sports fan, the chance to meet Shaquille O’Neil, nod to Dwayne Wade, and say hello to NBA Hall of Famer Bill Walton made for a trip highlight.

While the road trip through Texas was not memorable for the Heat (they could have used the skills of Cavalier greats J.R. Reynolds and Sean Singletary), it certainly was for me. I’m sure the Heat are not anxious to play the Rockets or Mavs in the near future, but I am looking forward to returning to Texas again soon.

Kathy Boase
Leadership Gifts Officer

An alum speaks out

As I travel around the country meeting with alumni, I am always thrilled to meet those who truly support our mission and goals. I want to share an e-mail I just received from Ed Froelich '94 of Morrison & Foerster in DC.

Dear School of Law Alumni,

I am a 1994 graduate of the School. I happily work as of counsel in the tax department of Morrison & Foerster, known by friends as MoFo.

I was inspired by the Dean's statements marking the launch of the current capital campaign. He described the ultimate goal of the campaign: "to make sure that Virginia delivers the premier student experience in American legal education." I am writing merely to state my complete support for that lofty goal and to note that, before all other institutions, our School is most suited to bear this distinction.

The University and School's founder, Thomas Jefferson, wrote our country's essential organic document, the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration is more fundamental to who we are as a nation than the Constitution or any law. It is the most fundamental because it is unamendable; it reflects an historical event that cannot be changed and therefore is the first principle of our nation's existence. In turn, the Declaration's principle of equality infuses our best actions and underpins every good law we have. The School, conceived by Jefferson as a place of education in liberty and equality, is already the first in the nation by virtue of its heritage and devotion to these founding ideals. It needs only now to show that it is the finest in the nation. I am confident that under the Dean's direction our School will shine even more brightly.    

My heartfelt support for campaign, 
Best regards,
Ed Froelich
Class of 1994

Good things for all in '07

We are optimistic and excited about the start of 2007. We think this will be one of the best years ever for the Law School.

It's already started out positively. We recently found out that UVA has more graduates clerking for the U.S. Supreme Court this term than any other law school in the county, except for Harvard and Yale.

Four Law School grads work for the nation's highest court, equaling a high-water mark we set during the 1983-84 term. The grads are:

• John Adams '03, clerking for Justice Thomas
• David Bragdon '02, clerking for Justice Thomas
• Daniel Bress '05, clerking for Justice Scalia
• Gordon Todd '00, celerking for Justice Alito

We are proud of our success in court clerkship placements, along with other successes we enjoy in the public and private sectors. Over the course of the next few months, I will try to highlight those areas where UVA Law excels.

Happy new year to all.

Groovy in New York, BABY!

I've been coming to New York a lot over the past few months and I expect to spend even more time here in the future.

New York is an important area for us at the Law School Foundation. It's the financial capital of many industry sectors, including philanthropy. While it doesn't represent our largest alumni population center, it is by far our largest revenue center. There are almost three times as many UVA Law Alums in the DC metro area; however, our NY alums contribute twice as much money as those in DC. We are grateful for all the support that we receive from our alumni across the US, but especially grateful for the support we receive in New York.

Aside from interacting with and meeting our alumni, NY also provides the occasional opportunity to spot somebody famous. My recent trips to NY have included glimpses of Jon Stewart, Valentino and Muhammad Ali. But, nothing beats what happened to me on Tuesday night. I went to dinner with Steve Malone '97, in-house labor and employment counsel for NBC. We arrived at Otto, a Mario Batali restaurant in Greenwich Village at 9:30. The place was packed, but the hostess said she would do her best to find us a table as soon as possible. Within ten minutes, we were notified that our table was ready.

As we entered the dining room, we noticed the waiter had separated a 4-person table and created two separate tables within six inches of each other. As we sat down, I looked to my left and there was Austin Powers. I looked at Steve and saw him whisper, "It's Mike Myers." I whispered back, "I know" and put my pinky to my lips.

As the evening progressed, Steve told me about life at NBC and I gave him an update on the state of the Law School. When Austin got up to leave, I acknowledged him with a nod of the head. As he prepared to exit the restaurant, I wanted to stop him, tell him that I do development for UVA Law and ask him for "one milllllion dollars."

But I didn't do it.